单选题 Twenty-seven years ago, Egypt revised its secular constitution to enshrine Muslim sharia as "the principal source of legislation". To most citizens, most of the time, that seeming contradiction-between secularism and religion-has not made much difference. Nine in ten Egyptians are Sunni Muslims and expect Islam to govern such things as marriage, divorce and inheritance. Nearly all the rest profess Christianity or Judaism, faiths recognised and protected in Islam. But to the small minority who embrace other faiths, or who have tried to leave Islam, it has, until lately, made an increasingly troubling difference.
Members of Egypt's 2,000-strong Bahai community, for instance, have found they cannot state their religion on the national identity cards that all Egyptians are obliged to produce to secure such things as driver's licenses, bank accounts, social insurance and state schooling. Hundreds of Coptic Christians who have converted to Islam, often to escape the Orthodox sect's ban on divorce, find they cannot revert to their original faith. In some cases, children raised as Christians have discovered that, because a divorced parent converted to Islam, they too have become officially Muslim, and cannot claim otherwise.
Such restrictions on religious freedom are not directly a product of sharia, say human- rights campaigners, but rather of rigid interpretations of Islamic law by over-zealous officials. In their strict view, Bahai belief cannot be recognised as a legitimate faith, since it arose in the 19th century, long after Islam staked its claim to be the final revelation in a chain of prophecies beginning with Adam. Likewise, they brand any attempt to leave Islam, whatever the circumstances, as a form of apostasy, punishable by death.
But such views have lately been challenged. Last year Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti, who is the government's highest religious adviser, declared that nowhere in Islam's sacred texts did it say that apostasy need be punished in the present rather than by God in the afterlife. In the past month, Egyptian courts have issued two rulings that, while restricted in scope, should ease some bothersome strictures.
Bahais may now leave the space for religion on their identity cards blank. Twelve former Christians won a lawsuit and may now return to their original faith, on condition that their identity documents note their previous adherence to Islam.
Small steps, perhaps, but they point the way towards freedom of choice and citizenship based on equal rights rather than membership of a privileged religion.

单选题 According to the text, what impact did the revision of Egypt's secular constitution have on its citizens' lives?
[A] It did not make much difference to all the citizens.
[B] Most of the Muslims felt that there was no much difference, but Christians, Judaists and people who embraced other religions felt increasing troubles.
[C] Muslims, Christians and Judaists were protected in Islam, thus feeling no much difference, while other who embraced other faiths felt increasingly troubling difference.
[D] Only Buddhists were specially treated, while others not.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】A项，没有影响所有的公民，但是第一段中明确说明有一小部分所受影响严重，故A项错误。B项，只有穆斯林没觉得有变化，而其他宗教的信徒都觉得有区别，但是文中是说Nearly all the rest profess christianity or Judaism，faiths recognised and protected in Islam，故B项也不对。C项，穆斯林，基督徒和犹太教徒都不会受太大影响，除了一小部分其他信仰者或是那些试图脱离伊斯兰教者，故此C正确。D项提到了佛教徒，但是文中并未提及，故D项不选。
单选题 What trouble may people who are neither Muslims nor Christians nor Judaists encounter according to the text?
[A] They cannot preserve their own customs.
[B] They cannot state their religion on the national identity cards.
[C] They will not be able to divorce.
[D] They cannot leave Egypt.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】本题需要注意第二段。A项不能保持他们自己的习俗，文中并未提及，故不选。B项不能在身份证上表明他们的宗教信仰，这可以在第二段所举的例子中找到对应表述，故正确。C项说不能离婚，第二段中的表述是很多人因为不能离婚而从基督教转换到伊斯兰教，但并没有说明其他宗教的情况，故不选。D项不能离开埃及，文中也没有提及，故不选。
单选题 Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
[A] Bahai belief is a legitimate faith according to some Islamic officials.
[B] Any attempt to leave Islam will be punishable by death, whatever the situation is.
[C] Bahai belief is a religion that boasts a long history.
[D] Islamic officials tend to employ strict interpretations of Islamic law when it comes to the issue of religious freedom.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】A项一些伊斯兰官员认为巴哈教是合法宗教，但是第四段中说“他们认为，严格看来，巴哈教信仰不能被承认是一种合法的信仰”，故A项不正确。B项说任何试图离开伊斯兰教的行为，不管什么情况，都应被处以死刑，貌似和文中符合，但是原文是they brand，污蔑，因此事实并非如此，B不正确。C项巴哈教有很长的历史，但是文中说其仅产生于19世纪，故C不正确。D项伊斯兰官员总是倾向于采取严格的伊斯兰法律解释，这与文中所述符合，故选择D项。
单选题 What progress has now been made toward religious freedom?
[A] They can revert to their original faith freely, as long as it is clearly stated on their ID cards that they used to be in Islam.
[B] People may be freely reverted to their original faith, on condition that their children remain in Islam.
[C] To those who converted to Islam, only their children can be reverted to their original faith.
[D] The government has officially declared that such restriction on religious freedom would be abolished.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】本题主要在倒数第二段，是说有些基督徒赢得了官司，可以返回原来的信仰，只是要在身份证上注明自己曾经信仰过伊斯兰教。那么回过头来看选项，A项符合文意；B项说孩子仍需信仰伊斯兰教，这文中并未提及；C项说只有孩子能够返回原来的信仰，同样文中也没有提及；D项政府公开宣称不再限制宗教自由，这在文中也没有说明。故A项正确。
单选题 What is the main purpose of this text?
[A] To introduce the status quo of religious freedom in Egypt.
[B] To ask for help in alleviating the restricted religious freedom in Egypt.
[C] To force the government into action of some changes.
[D] To promote the idea that freedom of choice and citizenship shall be based on equal rights rather than membership of a privileged religion.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】全文的目的需要看一下最后一段，“这些公民权利应该是平等的而不能依据一个人的宗教身份而有什么特权”，然后再看选项。A项说是介绍埃及的宗教自由现状，文中有很大一部分着墨于此，但这只是手段，并非目的。B项说呼吁埃及拓宽宗教自由，这在文中并未看到。C项说迫使政府采取措施改善现状，一篇文章并不能产生迫使的作用，况且还是外国人写的文章。D项意思与最后一段的意思比较符合，是通过文章宣传平等的概念，借宗教自由之名呼吁平等的公民权利。